ACT Right to LifeACT RTL is opposed to the death penalty, as part of a consistent pro-life ethic by which we defend human life from conception to natural death. This is a relevant post today from the former Catholic Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Archbishop Coleridge, now of Brisbane:

“A few thoughts on the deaths of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran:

“The executions overnight and the process leading to them do no honour to Indonesia. The whole saga has been offensive to human dignity and a serious failure of humanity. Deterrence of this kind doesn’t work; nor does weakness masquerading as strength to please some local constituency. It looks like human lives sacrificed for political gain. If anything provides the moral argument against capital punishment, it’s this sorry tale.

“I would also like to add a note of praise for the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and the whole federal parliament who have been as one and exhaustive in their efforts on the behalf of the prisoners and their families.”